USA Dot Com is a blog covering politics and government from a conservative Christian perspective. Verne Strickland is a 50-year veteran of investigative journalism. This blog offers a take-no-prisoners style with a modicum of biting satire. Verne and his wife of 55 years, Durrene, live in Wilmington, NC.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

CIA should not be used to carry out traditional military activities: Brennan

Brennan: "The CIA should not be used to carry out traditional military activities."

Verne Strickland / February 09, 2013

This might to some degree defuse objections that some have toward the drone program, which has a very specific and useful purpose. We are in a war. Anyone who cannot perceive that has apparently not read any history post-dating the War of 1812.

Radical Islamic terrorists and assassins are trying to kill Americans and destroy U.S. facilities around the world. In doing so, they have savagely slaughtered American men, women and children with impunity. We should and do have the right to defend our country and our citizens by whatever means we have at our disposal, with the possible exclusion of mustard gas.

Drones are a breakthrough technology which allows us to kill terrorists where they are hiding (often shielded by their own children and women, while sparing the lives of Americans. No amount of clamor on the part of American protestors should dissuade us from doing that. These home-grown agitators are usually ignited by blatant propaganda produced by the enemy and promoted by MSM. At least one caveat should be observed. We should not respond to beheading the beheading of U.S. citizens by beheading members Al-Quaida, Hezbollah and other funny-sounding terrorists. This might be deserved but it wouldn't be right.

The following is excerpted from an AP article based on Brennan confirmation hearing.

Associated Press / 020913

Administration
officials say Brennan would limit the use of drones by the CIA
and leave the majority of strikes to the military. Brennan signaled in
his written answers that he would not seek to expand the CIA's
paramilitary operations.
"While the CIA needs to maintain a paramilitary capability ... the
CIA should not be used, in my view, to carry out traditional military
activities," Brennan wrote, referring to activities like the special
operations raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
The CIA's drone strikes primarily focus on al-Qaida and Taliban
targets in the tribal regions of Pakistan, while the military has
launched strikes against al-Qaida targets in Yemen and Somalia. The
agency also carries out strikes in Yemen, where three American citizens
with al-Qaida connections have been killed: Anwar al-Awlaki, his
16-year-old-son and Samir Khan.
Brennan said he would work to improve the CIA's intelligence
collection and performance across the Arab world after a spate of
unanticipated unrest, from the revolts of the Arab Spring to the terror
attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in
Benghazi, Libya.
___
Associated Press writers Julie Pace, Lara Jakes and Donna Cassata contributed to this report.
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